Anson didn’t have words to express how happy and content he was. Nothing he’d ever done to experience adrenaline and connect with the world compared to being with his mate. His love for her seemed to keep growing when it was already all-consuming. Every kiss, every time they made love, it got better.

He was watching her through his sunglasses, she was curled on the chaise, her body tanning under the sun. Anson was keeping watch that she didn’t burn. Adding sunscreen even when she fussed about it. There wasn’t a moment he wasn’t thinking about what she could need. It wasn’t a bad thing. Her smile made it all worth it. He knew she was still worried about her problems, even though she was trying to hide it from him.

King had been keeping him informed of the situation back in Seattle. As he expected, her stalker didn’t take her leaving town with a Kindred well. The location of the flight didn’t help either. King had Eden swing by Piper’s office to talk to her boss. Eden reported she had an unfortunate run-in with a very nasty woman who made it clear that Piper hadn’t gone through the proper channels for her impromptu vacation. Eden said she was a real ‘see you next Tuesday.’ That wasn’t a word she used lightly, so the woman must have made an impression on the Kindred.

Piper’s boss did report that they’d been receiving daily calls from someone asking for Piper and hanging up without a name when he was told she was out of the office. Hudson had been covering her house with Luca. A delivery truck came through and left flowers on her porch. They were quickly removed from the residence by Luca. The card simply said, “Why?”

King said he was worried that if Anson and Piper came home too soon, they’d miss their opportunity. Anson knew he was already on the clock with Piper. He was only going to get her to shirk her work for a little longer. If her stalker was getting desperate, it might be worth convincing her to stay.

Anson had a phone call he needed to make to his dads. He had been waiting for Piper to call her family, but she still hadn’t done it. He knew she wasn’t ashamed; she seemed to be waiting for something. She had his ring and his mark, there wasn’t much else he could do at this point to convince her. Time they had but it was also not unlimited.

Picking up his phone, he dialed then hit the speaker button and reached back to grab Piper’s hand. He could tell she needed his touch. He was happy to keep giving it to her. The grounding she was feeling would flow through her skin to his. Their mating was weaving together faster than he had expected.

“Dad?”

“Anson, your papa said you called. How’s life treating you?”

He couldn’t stop the chuckle that bubbled up. “Life is treating me pretty fucking fantastic, Dad. I’m in Las Vegas.”

“Vegas? You didn’t say you had work there. You’re not covering the princess, are you?” He knew all about Bliss Hartley duty and why everyone wanted to avoid babysitting the pop star.

“No, this is a personal trip. I needed to get a ring on my mate’s finger before she changed her mind.”

There was silence on the phone while his dad processed the news. Anson looked over to Piper and saw she was watching over the tops of her sunglasses, her eyes wide. Fuck, she was cute.

“Did you say your mate?”

“Your hearing going? You’re not that old, Dad.”

“You better not be fucking with me,” his dad warned.

“Dad, I wouldn’t do that. Her name is Piper and we’re already mated. She’s beautiful and smart, I can’t wait until you meet her.”

There was silence again for a moment then his dad screamed, “Jory, we’re getting grandbabies, get your ass in here!”

Anson let out a laugh and Piper made a choking noise. Her mouth had popped open in shock.

“How are we getting grandbabies? That boy of ours knows better than to poke his pole somewhere without wrapping it first.”

“Jesus, Papa,” Anson said.

“Jory, he’s got a mate! Stop being an ass. A real mate, they’re mated, married, and we get babies!”

“You also get a daughter-in-law, you know.”

“Of course, of course! Can she hear us?”

“Yes, you’re on speaker so you’ve already made a great impression.”

“Oh, honey, we’re just excited! I’m Jory, you can call me Papa,” Jory said, yelling too loud.

“I’m Sean, you can call me Dad but only if you’re comfortable,” Sean said.

“Uh, thank you?” Piper said, a smile playing on her lips.

“I’d say we aren’t really excited about babies but that would be a lie. Anson was our only child and we are ready to spoil some cubs.”

“That’s okay, I guess,” Piper said awkwardly.

“Hey, guys, Piper has a bit of a problem we’re dealing with. If you get any suspicious calls or anything that seems off, call me or King.”

“Someone is messing with our girl?” Sean said with a hiss.

“Just be aware. I’m handling it,” Anson said firmly.

“We will, son. You better have her over to our house as soon as that plane lands back here. I don’t care what time it is,” his dad said.

“Oh, I’m calling the Clan. When is the presentation? Do we need a theme?” Jory asked excitedly.

“Papa, please make sure Piper is included in your plans,” Anson reminded.

“Of course! Send me her contact information and I’ll message her directly. We need to get started.”

Piper had started to giggle and Anson was glad he made the call. Every little thing that would cement his permanency with her was worth any effort.

“I’ll do that. We’ll be home by the weekend. I’ll text you the details.”

“Piper, honey, welcome to the family. We’re thrilled at your mating to our boy. He’s a lot of work, but he’s worth it. If he pisses you off too much, you come to us,” Sean said.

“Hey!” Anson said.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said saucily.

“Okay, guys. I’ll call you later. Love you,” he said.

“Love you too, son. Piper, honey, we haven’t met, but we love you too. Welcome to the family and to our Clan,” Jory said.

“Thank you, that means a lot,” Piper replied.

“Oh, she sounds so sweet,” Sean said with a sigh.

“All right, I’m hanging up before somebody starts crying, bye,” Anson said ending the call abruptly.

“I can’t believe you just called them!” Piper said, slapping at his arm.

“I should have called them sooner. I was a bit distracted,” Anson said honestly.

Piper gave him a hard look. “I think I want to tell my parents in person,” she said finally.

“Then we tell them in person,” Anson said. “You need to do it the best way for you and them. I hope they’ll be happy for you.”

“They will, they’ll just think it’s fast. But then it’s always fast with the Kindred. It’s a little hard for humans to keep up.”

“I understand. Listen, I’d like to stay here until at least the weekend. Things are… tenuous.”

“They haven’t found him?”

“He knows you’re gone. Eden has spoken with your boss. Who is the woman at your work that dislikes you so much?”

“Colleen? It can’t be her, I haven’t known her that long.”

“Eden didn’t like her.”

“Not surprised. I’m sure Colleen didn’t like Eden. She’d be competition.”

“There has been some movement. We’re poking the hornets’ nest for a good reason. I’m sending an order of flowers to your house that I’ve instructed the guys to leave. I know he’s been getting into your complex, it’s not hard. Someone in a delivery uniform left flowers the other day and obviously tried to obscure their face. We think it was him. I want him to see those flowers.”

“Why?”

“The card is going to say: Congratulations on your wedding! That should send him into a quick response.”

“I’ve been so afraid to do something wrong. I see now that my exes were under the same pressure to an extreme. I don’t want to go back to being afraid.”

“Baby, I don’t want that either. Let’s settle this once and for all.”

Piper nodded at him and took his hand back, her hand clutching him tightly. He wasn’t going to let any more fear or danger touch his mate. This had to be over with.